Non nursing jobs during monitoring

Athenaray · 2025-05-10T19:54:20Z

States are different and each case is different. Most states, not all, but most will require to work as a nurse for 3 years out of those 5 years and most don't require fulltime, but most require 24 hours weekly to count toward the 3 years of credit during the 5 years. There are some states that do not require working, but those are not as common. Additionally, the overwhelming majority of states require the nurse to work 3 out of the 5 years IF the nurse diverted at work. There are only a couple of left that don't require it.

As for not working for 5 years and completing the program, understand you run into licensing issues when you return at the 5 year mark. Without 5 years of nursing, you will be required to do a re-entry/retraining/clinical type scenario before working to keep your RN license active and that is something that could be up to 12 weeks or 3 months depending on the state and they are expensive.

Understand that for states that require working for 3 out of the 5 years (which is the majority of states) that requirement doesn't always come from the BON. It sometimes comes from the monitoring program itself. You will hear many nurses say, "my consent order doesn't say I have to work 3 out of 5 years." This is true, but if you look at the monitoring programs requirements, the monitoring program will require 3 out of the 5 years working in order to complete your monitoring agreement which goes along with drug testing, meetings, etc.

As for finding a job, it is absolutely not "nearly impossible" to find a job while under consent order and stipulations. It is absolutely Hard, and one may argue very hard, but it's doable and nurses find them, otherwise there wouldn't be any nurses in the nursing field in practice today with a substance abuse history.

When you apply, look first to Dialysis, local community health clinics as a check in nurse that cater to the poor and/or underserved, and mentsl health hospitals. You need to place 25 applications when you start looking for a job. Don't place 1 or 2 or 3 and waite for a response. Apply to 25 places. Saturate the market and 20 of those 25 places needs to be in an area you don't live in. For example, you stated you live in VA. If you for example live In the Richmond area. Apply for 5 or 10 in Richmond, then 3 or 4 in Hampton Roads, 3 or 4 in Northern VA, 3 or 4 out west in Appalachia where drug and substance use is a severe problem and because of that, employers are Far More understanding of nurses in recovery.

Understand that many nurses who get that first job back in recovery to re enter nursing Often don't get that job in the town, city, or area they reside. Many have to move to another part of their state. Understand that after you have worked for 1 year, stipulations generally decrease from the BON, and equally important, more employers are more likely to hire you as you have proven one year of sobriety and worked a year with no issues, and it's easier to get back home.